Agent Rhode Island: Out of Sight
by TyForestWrites2
Summary: (One-Shot) In her search for the Director, Agent Carolina feels a bit disheartened and leaves to the location where an old friend was killed. Still blaming Agent Texas for York and Rhode's death, she sulks. But Epsilon/Church finds some memories to help her... (Agent Carolina x OC)


**Agent Rhode Island One-Shot: Out of Sight**

 **ABANDONED ISLAND FORTRESS**

 **PRESENT DAY**

For many hours, Carolina drove across the plains, heading towards her destination. Finally, as night fell, she spotted the tower by the edge of the sea and a feeling of regret passed through her. Years ago, when everyone thought she was still dead, she had picked up a transmission from Project Freelancer; York had been killed in action, trying to apprehend Wyoming, and evidently Texas had also been involved. That day, she had mixed feelings; she was sad about York's death, but also angry that Tex had somehow gotten him involved in her crazy mission.

Now as she pulled up outside the tower and dismounted her Mongoose, her sadness overcame her fury and she sighed, "I'm sorry, York, sorry I didn't listen. I just... I don't understand. Why her? Why Tex?"

"Tex?" a voice interrupted then.

Carolina whirled round to see a glowing sapphire-blue Spartan hovering over her Mongoose's handlebars and her eyes narrowed, "You..."

"Ah, crap," Epsilon/Church murmured.

"Let me guess," Carolina growled, stepping up to the Mongoose, "You just... wanted some information."

"Carolina, I don't-"

"You don't have a clue, don't you?" Carolina cut in crossly, "You and your friends just think that I'm some bloodthirsty merc with a bad attitude. But you know what? You're wrong. I'm much worse."

Epsilon glared back at her angrily, "Look, you go and round up everyone I know just to bring me back, and then you keep us all in the dark? What the heck did you think was going to happen, Carolina? Of course no one trusts you!"

"Well, I don't trust them, Epsilon," Carolina retorted, turning away, "I don't trust anyone anymore."

"Oh, why not?" Epsilon scoffed, "Because having friends would ruin the whole 'psychotic loner jerk' thing got going? 'Cause that would be a real shame."

"It's because I had a team once." Carolina closed her eyes and let the memories of her fellow Freelancers seep through her mind, "A team with the best training, the best equipment, and despite everything that they had that made them the best, they still lied, and stole, and tore each other to pieces! The only one I trusted was Rhode, and he was the first to go. And it was Tex's fault he was killed!"

She opened her eyes again and glared at Epsilon, "So you tell me: How the heck am I supposed to trust a rag-tag team of idiots, when I couldn't even trust the people that were close to me?"

Epsilon thought it over for a moment then he sighed and disappeared. Wash had told him discretely that Carolina didn't know Rhode was still alive and that they should keep quiet about it. If there was one thing he knew, it was that Carolina was easily distracted by Rhode.

Carolina gave a gruff nod, "That's what I thought."

 **XXX**

A few minutes of sulking later, Church reappeared, "C-C-Carolina?"

"I'm done talking to you," she snapped over her shoulder.

"Carolina," Epsilon called out as his body began to flicker, "I think I found something you might want to s-see."

"Really?" Carolina turned round at this, "What might that be?"

Suddenly Epsilon's changed to green and he replied in a familiar electronic voice, "A memory."

Carolina gasped and jumped to her feet, "Delta?!"

"We must be brief," Delta said, "Epsilon is struggling to remember."

"Remember what?"

But Delta just disappeared.

"Delta? Delta, please don't-"

Then suddenly, a holographic figure appeared before her, a Spartan in green-and-blue armor and a big grin on his face.

"Hi. I'm Agent Rhode Island, but just call me Rhode. Seriously, why was I named after the smallest state? I guess it's another reason I have bad luck. I should probably explain why."

Carolina stepped back in alarm, "It can't be... Rhode?"

"See, my family was a huge supporter of Project Freelancer, actually being very rich sponsors. However, that also made us a huge target for the Insurrection. When I was visiting my parents for a family reunion one day, our house was attacked. Despite the high-tech security, Insurrectionists, led by a heavily armored soldier with a shark pattern on his helmet, burned down the mansion, taking my family with it. I barely escaped with my life.

"For a few days, I was homeless, with nothing but a pistol with no ammo. Authorities finally found me and I was questioned for what happened. With no where else to go, I took to the streets again. But then... Agent Carolina found me."

Rhode's hologram disappeared.

"Wait!" Carolina cried.

But then Rhode appeared again, still looking pleased, "Carolina trained me to become a better Freelancer, and I honestly think it's working. I don't think I've ever felt this good about myself. I guess Carolina has that effect on me."

He disappeared and reappeared again, though this time, slightly gloomier, "Today, we met a new Agent. Her name is Texas, or Tex. She managed to take on three Freelancers at once. Three!! But during the training, York was injured. I guess we'll figure out how he is soon.

"But Carolina is acting a bit... Different. I think Tex might be worrying her. Carolina's really proud of her position on the leaderboard, and then Tex comes along and threatens that. I wanna tell her not to worry about it, to let it go, but that probably won't fly. Carolina can get a little violent at conversations like that."

He disappeared again, but this time when he returned, he had a frown on his usually pleasant face, "And now for the first journal entry with me with a robot arm."

He held up his right arm and showed the mechanical puzzle of wires and metal, "Docs said that it'll work better than my real arm, but it still feels weird, you know? The ability to move my arm, but not feel it is just gonna be hard to get used to.

"Wash told me after the arm was attached, I was still unconscious for a day or so. And Carolina never left my side. Heh, just shows that she still cares. Strange thing is though, I got this strange feeling in my chest when I heard that... I don't know what exactly it was, but whatever.

"But the worried Carolina was back today when we were training. She kept glancing at the leaderboard and Tex's number two position. *Sigh* I really just wish I could tell her to let it go. They're just numbers. It doesn't matter.

"Then again, what do I know? I'm just some Agent that the Director seems to hate. I guess I need to learn to let things go too."

Rhode disappeared for the final time. Carolina removed her helmet and wiped the tears from her eyes then she saw Epsilon appear again.

"Why did you show me that?" She asked.

Epsilon just gave a little smile, "Because, I know what it's like to spend your life chasing ghosts."

Carolina paced around Epsilon for a moment, thinking of what he had shown her, "I don't understand... these are more than memories."

"His journal entries were part of the data that Wash recovered," Epsilon explained, "And they stored them in his personal file, which just so happens to be one of many folders that yours truly picked up the last time I visited a Freelancer facility."

He gave a smug grin, "Not bad for a 'rag-tag idiot', if I do say so myself. Feel free to start begging for my forgiveness whenever you feel like it, Carolina."

"Not happening," Carolina scoffed.

"What, seriously?"

"But, I will thank you."

"Yeah, well," Epsilon chuckled modestly, "I'm pretty great."

Carolina nodded then stepped up to the edge of the rooftop to stare at the moon, "Church, the Director is still out there somewhere. And I need to find him, not just for what he did to me, but what he did to Rhode, to York, to Wash, to Maine, the twins, to all of them."

She then turned to look at the AI, "And for what he did to you, Church. I guess I forgot that, in a way, you were there alongside us too."

Epsilon thought it over then he smiled, "You know, the more memories I sift through, the more that sounds like a pretty good plan."

"Find anything that can help us out?"

"Yeah, it's a lot of stuff to remember at once, but I might be able to pull up some of the Director's logs if you gave me some time."

"Well..." Carolina put on her helmet and turned back towards the teleporter, "You'll have plenty of time on our ride back."

"Yeah, well about that," Epsilon put in, grimacing slightly, "Hey, is there any way we could get back to the others that doesn't involve me carrying you?"

Carolina burst out laughing, "Wow, Church, I didn't know an AI unit could get so easily embarrassed. Tell you what; just tell your friends that you 'picked me up'. How does that sound?"

Epsilon scowled in annoyance, "Remind me never to let you talk to Tucker again."

Carolina chuckled and got back on her Mongoose. Then a thought occurred to Church and he teleported to her side.

"Hey, um," he said, "When we get back to Valhalla... You're gonna be in for a surprise. Just a heads up."

Carolina raised an eyebrow at that statement, but shrugged it off. And thus, she drove back towards Sandtrap.

 **XXX**

 **Yeah, I feel like this had to be done. I couldn't find a good place to put it in "The End of Project Freelancer", so I decided to make a one-shot out of it. Till next time guys!**


End file.
